


The One Where They Bond

by prettycheese21



Series: Meet the Winchesters [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Anna is a Good Bro, Anna is just done with everyone, Dean Tries, Dean can be a dick sometimes, Dean is Bad at Feelings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Issues, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Mental Health Issues, References to Depression, Sam is so done with Dean, but who isn't?, or a really bad attempt at it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 04:20:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11028525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettycheese21/pseuds/prettycheese21
Summary: When tensions reach a boiling point, Dean takes out his frustrations on Faith. Only after she leaves in tears- rather than a quick comment telling Dean to screw himself- do they realize something is wrong.





	The One Where They Bond

**Author's Note:**

> So judging by the tags, it's pretty obvious this is going to deal with the topic of depression. I posted this on Tumblr a while ago and hadn't had the time to transfer it over to here due to my intense schedule and dealing with all of my own personal shit. I was hesitant to post it then and I'm still hesitant to post it now.  
> The characters are probably a bit off and the subjects discussed in here might not be done properly or just not appeal to some people. I'm nervous of how you as readers will react to me posting this. So I'll just apologize up front in case I fucked this up. It was never my intention and I hope everyone realizes that.  
> Anyway... This is based off of my own personal experiences with depression and my family and such. I understand it's more than a little vague and I'm hoping to build it up more in future installments of this series.  
> Please grant me a little bit of leeway. I'm still new at this kind of fic.  
> Enjoy and thanks for your patience!

Dean hurriedly knocked on the door again, getting increasingly more annoyed the longer he stood there. "Sam, you said they were home. Why aren't they answering? We've been standing here for five minutes," he snapped.

"Maybe they're busy with something. I mean you can't expect them to come run-" Sam was interrupted as the door to the girl's apartment opened.

Anna stood there, wearing a big cardigan and jeans. "Sorry, guys. We just got here. We were, uh, busy with stuff." She moved aside and gestured into the room. "Come on in."

Dean quickly brushed past Anna and entered the apartment. He then noticed Faith sitting on the couch, her hair pulled back into a careless bun as she was intently focused on the homework in front of her; her eyes darting between the textbook and notebook as she took notes. Ignoring this, he began to speak, which gained the attention of the blonde, "We need your help with research. Are you two busy? We need all the help we can get."

"Um... Sure, I guess I can help. As long as it doesn't take too long," Faith replied.

"Great. Sammy, you got those books?" he asked his brother, ignoring the look Anna and Faith shared.

"Yeah," Sam said as he started taking books out of his bag, laying them on the end table.

"What is it that you need help with?" Anna asked Dean.

"Research-" he heaved a pile of three large books and put them on the coffee table, "-on-" another pile of five books "-witches." He punctuated the end of his sentence with another stack of seven smaller books in leatherbound backings.

"Joy," Anna said, picking up a book labeled: _Ancient Magical Communities_. "There's a witch nearby?"

"A couple towns over," he nodded. "And she's sacrificing people every two days. We need to find out why and how to stop it, and fast before she kills again."

"Do you have anything to go on? Any ideas why?" Faith asked as she picked up one of the smaller books and turned it in her hands.

"And how many days ago did she last kill?" Anna asked.

"Last night. So tomorrow night she'll sacrifice another person." Sam answered.

"Weird. And what are we trying to find exactly?" Anna asked again.

"Anything," the older Winchester snapped. "Now stop asking questions and get reading. The sooner we find information, the better."

*****

"My god!" Anna cried, closing the seventh book she had read in the last five hours. "I've got nothing. I give up. I'm going to make food." She then got up and stomped out of the room.

"She's got a point. I can't find any useful information either," Sam stated. "Have either of you seen anything?"

"No," Faith mumbled, flipping to the next page of the book she was still reading.

"Of course _you_ haven't. You've been reading the same book for the past five hours," Dean snapped.

Faith tensed. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"Anna's read seven books and you can't even read one?"

She still wasn't looking at Dean, her body stiff and her face completely apologetic. "I'm sorry, Dean-"

"I don't care if you're sorry!" he exclaimed. "You being sorry isn't going to bring back the person that's gonna die because you can't focus!"

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed. "Give her a break. She doesn't have to help us. She's choosing to. Calm down."

He ignored his brother, continuing to take his frustration out on the alarmed woman in front of him. "What is wrong with you? Are you stupid or do you just not care? Someone is gonna die and it's going to be all your fault if you can't manage to pull your head out of your ass!"

Faith's expression contorted into something unreadable- something painful- before it turned blank. She quickly closed her book and got up, turning around and heading down the hallway. But not before the boys could spot the way her green eyes watered and how her jaw tightened with the effort of repressing her emotions.

Anna stomped out of the kitchen, catching a glimpse of Faith as she stormed away, and proceeded to walk up to Dean. "What the fuck did you just do?!" she yelled. She turned to face Sam, "You bitch at him first. God knows I'm going to later!" She turned and walked down the hallway into Faith's room.

Dean blinked. "What the hell is she so pissed about?"

Sam gave him the bitch face. "Are you kidding me right now?"

This just seemed to make him more confused. "No?"

"How would you feel right now if some asshole came into the room, made you do research for five hours, and then treated you like shit?" Sam asked Dean. "Because that's exactly what you're doing right now."

"Treat her like- I was telling her the truth!" he defended. "A person is going to die if we don't do something."

"Yeah, but it isn't her fault!" Sam argued back. "Someone could die but she is doing us a favor by helping-" A door opened. Anna came marching down the hall into the kitchen. She emerged a few moments later with a plate of cookies.

Dean began to speak, addressing Anna as he asked, "Is she ok-"

Anna ran up to Dean and smacked him upside the back of the head. Before he could protest, Anna yelled, "No! Go into the corner and think about what you've done!" She glared at Sam. "Make sure he stays there!" She took the cookies and went back into Faith's room.

Dean held the back of his head, watching with shocked eyes as Anna marched away from him. "What the hell?"

"I told you. You deserved it." Sam said as he got up and slowly walked down the hall. Approaching Faith's room, he knocked softly on her door. "You guys okay in there?" He wanted to be sure Dean hadn't fucked up their relationship with them royally.

There was a shout from the room before the door opened and Anna was quickly ushered out of the room. "Just leave me alone!" was the only thing Anna got before Faith just shut the door on both of them. A heartbreaking, breathy cry sounded through the wooden door before things fell quiet again on the other side.

Anna sighed, with a sad look on her face. "Just let me know when you need me, dear." She looked back at Sam and, reading the look on his face, quickly reassured, "She'll be okay. She's been through worse."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Anna looked about to answer, but was interrupted when Dean suddenly joined the group, looking between the two of them, confused, as he seemed to search for Faith. "Where is she? Is she coming out?"

"Not now, Dean." Anna said. "Let's go sit down in the living room. I'll explain whatever you want to know."

"What's there to know?" Dean questioned. "All I did was yell at her and she cried. Even Sam did that when he was younger."

"Oh shut up," Sam said.

"Anyway-" Anna shot them a look "-she's just been really frustrated lately. It's been a shitty week for her. You know, homework and the shit with her mom-"

"What shit with her mom?" Sam interrupted.

"Her mom is a bitch," Anna answered simply, as if that explained everything.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked as they reentered the living room. "Why is her mom a bitch? Come to think of it, I don't know much about her family." He sat down. "Hell, Sam and I have heard you talk more about your niece than we've heard Faith say about her parents."

"Well, there's a reason why. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mom and her never really got along well. Because her mom is a bitch. This week her mom invited her to her brother's birthday party, and she said she couldn't go because of homework. Which is logical, right?" she explained.

"Makes sense," Sam began.

"Well, her mom texted her telling her all about how she's worthless and she isn't reliable and doesn't love her family and all this shit. And this isn't even the first time she's done this. I swear, if I met this woman, I'd probably kill her."

"Okay... what?" Dean asked. "What kind of mother says that to her child? Has she even met Faith? She's about as reliable and caring as they come." Dean couldn't wrap his head around it, as his face contorted into an expression of disbelief.

"I know," Anna said, looking at Dean. "I said the same thing when I found out. It's been like that forever." She heard the door open down the hall. She gave the other two the 'we haven't been talking' look.

They heard some light footsteps before they heard the sound of a fan turning on and the sound of another door shutting; a telltale sign of her entering the bathroom.

"But... why can't Faith just go to the party?" Dean asked in a quieter voice. "I know school is important and all, but she can take a day to go see her brother, can't she?"

"Yeah, but you really underestimate how sick she was the last time you two were here. She was in the hospital for a week and has been swamped with the homework she missed. She's had to retake, like, four tests now. And on top of that it's a full day's drive to her mom's. The woman can't give her a goddamn break. She pulls this all the time," Anna complained. "I am the mom friend. When I hear about her I just-" she made a choking motion with her hand then sighed. "I just hate seeing Faith so upset. Nobody should do that to her."

The obnoxious sound of the fan was suddenly gone, causing the group to fall silent. There was once again the light padding of footsteps before a quiet creaking sounded, followed by the slam of a door.

Sam sighed as Anna set her face in her hands. "And now we wait."

"Is she... okay?" Dean said, feeling awkward. "She just... she's not acting like herself." The way he phrased it and then the look he gave Anna said more than he had vocalized.

"She's not okay." Anna sighed, "It comes and goes, but recently it's been hyped up because of all the stuff with her mother. I just- I try to help, but I don't know what to do." She took a stabilizing breath before clapping her hand together and stating, "I'm gonna go make dinner. A really yummy dinner. Bacon wrapped steak, she likes that."

"What comes and goes?" It was then Sam gave his brother the most deadpan of bitch-faces. "What, Sam? What is that face for?"

"It's pretty clear cut, Dean." Sam replied. He turned to face Anna as she started leaving the room. "Depression?"

"Yeah." Anna replied as she retreated to the kitchen.

"Depre- Faith is depressed?" Dean was immediately shushed for his loud volume. "Since when?" He looked back on all the interactions he'd had with the woman, which was more than he'd expected but still not a lot, hoping to remember seeing the signs. He couldn't. At least... not the ones he'd expected. There were a few too-forced smiles and the ever present tiredness that always seemed to bog her down, but that was just how he thought she- as a stressed out college student- was. He felt stupid. How could he have missed this? He should've known. For all of his experience of living these past three decades, for all of his supernatural adventures, he felt like he should've seen this coming. Man, Dean was a colossal idiot.

"I guess so," Sam said, unaware of his older brother's sudden introspection. "I didn't know either. I guess she's pretty good at hiding it." He sighed. "I'm gonna see if Anna needs help in the kitchen."

*****

As Sam walked in, he saw Anna struggling to open a package of bacon. "Here, let me help with that," he said as he opened it with ease.

"Thanks," Anna replied as she started wrapping the marinated steaks that were on the counter. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see if you needed any help."

"I should be okay. But thank you, Sam."

"Alright." He turned to leave, but stopped. "Hey, Anna?"

"Yeah?"

"How long does this usually last? With Faith, I mean?"

"These bouts last a few days usually, but sometimes they can last longer."

"Okay, I was just wondering. Thanks."

"No problem. Just, uh, try to keep Dean quiet," Anna requested.

Sam laughed. "Yeah, I'll try to."

*****

As soon as Sam had left the room, Dean stood up and went toward Faith's bedroom door. He stood there for a moment before softly knocking on the door. It was silent for a moment before there was a response. "What?" came the weak, tired reply from Faith.

"It's... it's Dean. Can I come in?" he asked, feeling rather awkward and vulnerable as he awaited her answer.

"No," was what he got, as well as the one he expected.

"Faith, come on. Look, I want to apologize. I shouldn't have said those things to you. Just- let me tell you this to your face. Please."

There was nothing for a moment. He thought maybe she was going to ignore him until he gave up. Then the door opened a crack, revealing Faith's tired face as she waved him in. He quickly and quietly entered her room, shutting the door behind him.

*****

Sam walked into the living room and heard the sound of a door closing. He looked over to the couch. No Dean. _Shit_. He sped back into the kitchen.

"What is it now, Sam?" Anna asked.

"Dean. I think he's in Faith's room," he responded.

"Oh shit." Anna stopped what she was doing and turned around. "We gotta get him out of there." Sam followed Anna as she led the way to Faith's bedroom. She knocked softly three times. When she didn't hear an answer, she feared the worst. She quickly opened the door to see Faith sobbing into Dean's chest while Dean awkwardly pet her head. "Aww," Anna whispered. She turned and put her head into Sam's chest.

It seemed they'd made up.

*****

Sam and Dean stayed for dinner, but ultimately decided that they couldn't impose on the girls any longer. As they packed up the books, Dean felt eyes on him. Turning his head, he found it was Sam, who was looking at him curiously. "What?" he asked, annoyed.

"What happened in there?" he immediately asked.

Dean shook his head. "Nothing."

~~~~

_As Dean shut the door behind him, Faith crossed her arms, as if she were cold. "I don't know why you need to apologize," she began. "You didn't say anything that wasn't deserved."_

_The older man looked taken aback. "That- Faith, you didn't deserve that. I was being an asshole."_

_"But you're right. I am stupid. Whatever happens to the next poor person who meets this witch is all my fault." Her eyes began to water again as she sat on her bed. "All because I can't put aside my stupid fucking fucked feelings and focus for two minutes."_

_"No, stop. You're not stupid," Dean told her. He sighed as he walked further into the room, trying to think of what to say. "Okay, look.... I said some things. Things that were totally undeserved. I was just... upset. I wasn't mad at you. I was mad at me, and I took it out on you and I'm really sorry." He sat down on the bed next to her. "Faith, I know you're having a rough time, but you need to understand something. Your mom isn't right about you. Hell, I don't think this woman knows a thing about you."_

_Faith looked taken aback. "How do you even know-"_

_"Don't worry about that. Let me say what I gotta say and then you can chew me out." He took a deep breath and continued. "Anyway, I've known you for- what, two months?- and I know you to be one of the kindest, most caring people I have ever met. If that woman can't see how wonderful you are, then it's her loss."_

_Faith let out a short, sharp cry, causing her to cover her mouth as the tears began to fall down her face. Dean's eyes widened. Had he said something wrong? He opened his mouth to apologize, only to be stopped when Faith was suddenly in his arms, silently sobbing into his chest as she gripped him tightly. He fell quiet as he wrapped his arms around the woman, feeling awkward as he attempted to stroke her hair comfortingly._

_~~~~_

"We just talked," he told Sam vaguely.

Anna walked into the room, interrupting Sam and Dean's conversation. "You guys figured out how to deal with the witch, right?"

"Yeah. There's this spell we have to do. We're going to go tonight," Sam replied.

"Okay. Be careful." Anna hugged the younger Winchester. "And make sure you call us so we know you're both okay." Then she hugged Dean.

Dean gave her a waning smile as he hugged her back. "We will. Or Sam will. I'll make him. Promise."

"Where's Faith? I want to say goodbye to her," Sam asked.

"I think she's in her room getting ready for class. Faith!" she called.

There was a crash followed by a screech before Faith's bedroom door opened and she emerged, her hair down and slightly frizzy as she wasn't finished styling it. "Yes?" she said calmly as she walked out into the living room.

"You alright?" Sam asked.

"Yep," she responded. "I just got startled and dropped my hair straightener, no biggie. What did you need?"

"I just wanted to say goodbye. We're heading out to kill the witch."

"Oh, okay." She gave Sam a small smile before approaching him to give him a hug. "God, you're tall. I feel like I'm hugging a tree."

Sam chuckled. "Did you just realize how tall I am?"

"I knew you were tall, but I guess I didn't realize you were _that_ tall. Or rather that I was just that much shorter than you," she chuckled before she turned to Dean. Her entire demeanor changed as she faced him. Her features softened and turned shy, almost as if she were nervous or afraid to say anything. "Bye, Dean." Faith pulled him into a much more gentle hug than she gave Sam.

"Bye, kiddo," he replied in a gruffy tone, hugging back. "Take care of yourself."

"Only if you do too."

After a moment of silence and a shared look between Sam and Anna, Sam finally spoke. "Alright. Well, this witch isn't going to kill herself. Let's go."

**Author's Note:**

> Like it? Want more?  
> Leave a comment or a kudos letting me know!
> 
> Want to request something of your own?  
> You can do that on here in the comments or on my Tumblr page (@notsoobviousfangirl).
> 
> Thanks for reading :)


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